A DPCC leader anonymously said Rahul, Priyanka, and other senior leaders might join Sunday’s yatra finale but wasn’t sure.
New Delhi: After a major defeat in the high-stakes Maharashtra elections, the Congress party’s top leadership, including former party president Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and Party President Mallikarjun Kharge, have notably stayed away from the month-long Delhi Nyay Yatra.
The yatra, which began last month and will conclude this weekend, has been largely managed by the Delhi unit of the party without the participation of its central leadership.
Before the Maharashtra and Jharkhand elections, Delhi Congress sources had suggested that the Gandhis and other key leaders would join the Nyay Yatra after the polls concluded.
“Once the elections are over, the parliament session will begin, and all major leaders will be in Delhi. We expect the Gandhis and other top leaders to join the Yatra to energize the party cadre, especially with the Delhi Assembly elections looming in February 2025,” a member of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) had shared with The Sun day Guardian.However, the election results were declared on November 23, and despite many top Congress leaders being present in Delhi, none have shown interest in participating in the Nyay Yatra, which is seen as an extension of Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra.
The absence of the Gandhis—whose presence could have galvanised the Delhi Congress—has left the state leadership to carry the yatra forward on its own.
Sachin Pilot did join the yatra on Friday, but the absence of the Gandhis and other prominent leaders, especially so close to the Delhi Assembly elections, has raised questions about the party’s commitment to revitalizing its presence in the capital. A DPCC leader, speaking on the condition of anonymity, mentioned that there is still hope that Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, and other senior leaders may join the yatra on its final day, Sunday but refused to confirm it. When asked about the reasons behind the leadership’s absence, a senior DPCC member refrained from commenting, citing “timing constraints.”
The Delhi Nyay yatra which is being led by Delhi unit chief Devender Yadav is seen as an attempt to regain the lost ground in the capital where the party failed to even open its account in the last two assembly polls.